NORTHEAST BLIZZARD - Live Thread - January 22-23 2005

[SamAdams76]

Well all the stops have officially been pulled out by the weather prognosticators. They are on a "war footing." The Northeast is getting a true BLIZZARD this weekend. Not a "nor'easter". Not just your basic snowstorm dumping 6-10 inches in Boston and New York with a mix and changeover to rain along the coast. No! We are talking 20-30 inches of windblown powdery snow in many locations with no chance of a mix with or change to rain whatsoever.

The temperatures are currently running zero or below zero across most of the Northeast this morning so the cold air is in place and fully entrenched. With the high winds expected with this storm, This will be a true BLIZZARD.

So as I sit in the epicenter of it all (my area is expecting over two feet of snow), I thought I'd start this thead so that Freepers can give us reports of how conditions are in there area. And you don't have to be in the Northeast to participate as this storm is currently affecting Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia as it heads to the East Coast where it is expected to undergo what the weather nuts call "bombogenesis" and literally explode into a superstorm as energy is transferred over the comparatively milder Atlantic Ocean.

So there you have it. Even in areas where plenty of snow falls this time of year, you have people running to the supermarket early this morning to "stock up", as if somehow a few feet of snow is going to stop all commerce and transportation for the forseeable future (the reality is that we should be all shoveled and plowed out by Monday morning no matter how bad things get).

The local TV stations around here have gone absolutely bonkers, as they are wont to do. It's even more extreme this year because TV "broadcast" stations are struggling to maintain their relevancy in a high world of internet, satellite radio and many other distractions that consumers have these days.

Weekday "anchors" are being rolled out of bed early this Saturday morning as they throw on their hairpieces and head to the studios for all-day "wall-to-wall" coverage of this blizzard. Seasoned reporters are being sent to Home Depots where people are already nervously buying shovels (even though they likely have 7 or 8 shovels in their garage already) and supermarkets where silly old ladies are buying gallons of milk (that they normally never drink) and loaves of bread (that they will never eat and end up throwing to the birds). Other reporters will be sent into the streets to do interviews with snow-plow drivers and "public safety" officials. More junior reporters are being sent to the sides of highways for liveshots where absolutely nothing is going on presently. But they will stand there nevertheless, filming the traffic going by and commenting on "how dangerous" this highway will be in just a few more hours. Then when the storm hits, these same reporters will retreat to rest areas where they will continue their liveshots as their cameramen instruct them to "sway in the wind" and "hold on to their hats" to help convince the viewers at home that the storm is severe indeed.

Yes, it's going to be a fun weekend in New England and the Northeast in general. But the beauty of this is that is is on a weekend. If we are going to get a true blizzard, the timing just couldn't be much better. We are able to get our normal errands done on Saturday morning and then in the afternoon, we can retreat to our homes and stoke up the fireplace as the snow moves in. Then tomorrow (Sunday), we can sleep late and take our time shoveling out. Then we have a perfect excuse to sit around the warm house all afternoon watching football as THREE out of the four teams still playing are all in the snow-bound Northeast. The ratings ought to be phenomenal, provided the power doesn't go out.

So post conditions in your area here.

Outside my home (approx 30 miles northwest of Boston near the NH border), it is -11 degrees! It is daybreak and the skies are mostly clear with some high clouds. It is COLD out there, almost too cold for snow. But it's coming, at least that's what they tell me!

[ProudVet77]

This thread, like the snow outside just keeps on going
Sam lives just up the road from me and we're expecting another 8 inches. Boston, expects another 10, a lot of which is already on the ground. That will make this January the snowiest January and also the snowiest month on record. Records go back 120 years. Can you say global warming!

[JLO]

Wow, you guys sure got hit big time. What's the total so far, do you know? Sure looks pretty in your and Sam's neck of the woods.


Your tag - LOL!!! (Survivor of the great blizzard of aught five)

[ProudVet77]

We're just down to light snow now. Figure we have about 30 inches around here. But storms like these create bands of snow. Places on the cape had 36 plus another 12 today/tonight. Same on the north shore. My sailboat is probably under 40 inches of snow right now.
If you have weatherbug, set your zip to 02101 and check out the radar. If you don't have it just pick it up from www.weatherbug.com, it's quite safe.

[JLO]

I don't have weatherbug, but I looked up the zip you mentioned on another weather place. Here's what they had for records. Guess they're not up to date yet!

http://weather.yahoo.com/climo/USMA0046_f.html

[ProudVet77]

No they aren't. I'll ping you tomorrow when they get some final totals. It's still coming down in Boston. Sam and I are about 30 miles NE of Boston and it's stopped snowing :) Watch the radar on www.weather.com and you'll see the snowbands. Looks like a fresh batch coming in from Cape Ann, which is where my boat is :(
I really miss being out there on a bright Saturday in July racing my friends.

[ProudVet77]

Well the numbers are in - 43 inches at Boston Logan Airport. That's a new one month record. Typical January is 13 inches.
Schools in Boston are closed for the rest of the week.
Some spots, from Hingham south through Plymouth and onto the inner cape are going to have wopper totals. They had 36 inches from Saturday night and have gotten another 10-12 yesterday and it's still snowing.
I want to move south!